


What You Know

by Emono



Series: The Family AU [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Blow Jobs, Boys in pretty clothes because clothes aren't gendered in my ideal world and they enjoy it, Brainwashing, Daddy Kink, Dirty Talk, Explicit Language, Frottage, M/M, Physical Abuse, Polyamory, Ray's uncle smacks him around a lot, Shameless Smut, Smut, dark themes, small subdrop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-08-10 08:06:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7836883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emono/pseuds/Emono
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael is Geoff's one and only boy, his special boy. But Geoff has tender feelings for a busboy in a dive bar with a litter of bruises. Michael sees him as competition but could he be all the makings of a new "brother"? Michael may be some sort of sociopath but even his heart bleeds for Ray when he sees just how much of a punching bag his uncle has made him.</p><p>(aka: Ray's story)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Copy and past for the people who didn't read the ABO AU of this
> 
> The Family AU: Geoff collects abused boys. He travels, he’s got family money, and Michael is his first boy. Michael is basically a fucking sociopath - and he’s the one that convinces Geoff to collect more boys. See, Michael has this Daddy kink, and he takes it way too far with Geoff and Geoff digs it, feeds off the deep need to be loved and have something to protect and love in return. So they take in broken, abused Lads with no one to love them and nowhere to go. Boys no one is going to miss, no one is going to look for. They create a family - Geoff is their Daddy, and they’re his boys (NOT fucking calling them sons, it’s not like that), but they’re bound as “brothers”. It’s super kinky and wrong and fucking WEIRD but basically they’re brainwashed - Daddy knows best and all that. Michael is the one behind it really but Geoff has a dark possessive streak within him. He’s been useless his whole life and now he’s getting a family to protect and Michael is all silky whispers in his ear about it. This would be dubcon but they are hella into it and completely brainwashed and I am not planning to unbrainwash them anytime ever. elp it - there’s enough of that out there.

 

_**~*~** _

_I am leaving_   
_This is starting to feel like_   
_It's right before my eyes_   
_And I can taste it_   
_It's my sweet beginning_

_**~*~** _

 

* * *

 

 

You can’t really start from the beginning in these kinds of things. Whose beginning is the “Prologue” that counts? A lonely man who drives his lovers away with his possessive behavior and overwhelming protective instincts. A boy growing up on the street who’s gentle self dies with each trick turned and no sense of right or wrong. A Brit exchanged for a gambling debt, love starved and alone in a country that terrifies him. A busboy who no one sees unless they want to bruise him up.

 

It’s a long story and sometimes you just have to _start_. Even if it’s in the middle.

 

o0o0o0o

 

Ray was the baby of the Family. He was the youngest, freshly twenty three when they all met and painfully shy. He had a talent for sketching and an obsession with video games. They were forms of escapism from his lonely life. He had a preference for deadpan humor and cats. He hid his smiles and stifled his laughter but easily blushed. He had a sweet nature to him despite his abuse. He was obedient and pliant, puddy to be molded. He’d fallen in love head-over-heels for Michael and Geoff on first glance and it only got more consuming from there.

 

Ray was Geoff’s second boy. Bashful, reserved, loving, tactile - his little housecat.

  
Most people only got one first breath. A gulp of life, of fresh air out of the womb. Geoff was lucky to experience several. The first on the day he was born, the second on the evening he saw Michael in that filthy motel room, and a third on the night he saw a timid boy picking up broken glass in a dim dive bar.

 

It was the first night where a dependent duo started to carve out a family.

 

o0o0o0o

 

The dive was a pit. Smoky with torn posters, greasy bar food, and full of locals. It was a few Harleys away from being a biker bar but that didn’t intimidate Geoff. He had the lazy demeanor and tat sleeves to slip under the radar. The concealed carry hidden in the baggy line of his jeans and the noticeable bulge of muscle every time he lifted a glass were the only means of protection he needed. He had an air to him and the bar could sense it, a predator-prey response no one would be able to put into words.

 

Michael had spent years on the street. He knew how to blend in, how to stand out, and he fell under notice as well. Just a young kid taking down a couple of beers, another tan leather jacket and ripped jeans with a heavy tab at the end of the night.

 

Geoff’s gaze was elsewhere and it was starting to bother him. Michael craned his neck but couldn’t see much beyond a pair of jean clad legs behind a table. A tray had been dropped a minute ago and it looked like the busboy was picking up the debris. He didn’t know why Geoff was watching or why there was such tenderness in his eyes but he didn’t like being ignored.

 

He smacked his beer bottle on the table and Geoff’s eyes snapped to him.

 

“Where to next?” Michael asked innocently, thumb tracing the long line of the brown bottleneck.

 

Geoff’s slow smile was like honey trickling through the boy and he bit his lip, wishing the place was more open minded so he could crawl into the man’s lap. But sitting here across from him was good too. It felt like they were putting on a show - two men, maybe a mentor and his young ward, riding the road and rolling with life. His lacy panties and skirts were packed away safely in their hotel room, makeup carefully zipped up in its proper case, and his one pair of cherry red pumps in the box they’d purchased them in under the bed just in case.

 

They had to travel light on the road and Michael was still exploring his preference for more delicate clothing. Geoff promised him one day he’d have a whole wardrobe to pick from.

 

“We get supplies, and we do some sightseeing,” Geoff replied easily.

 

That perked Michael’s interest. “Sightseeing?”

 

“We’re right beside Yonkers, baby boy,” Geoff reminded, thumb tracing the rim of his whiskey shot before taking it down. He didn’t so much as flinch. “Let’s make a day out of it before we move on.”

 

“I can’t wait to get to Maine,” Michael sighed airily, eyes tracing the knife marks in the table. “Fresh seafood every day and we’ll be right on the water.”  


Geoff smiled at his boy’s whimsical tone. He was going to take Michael to every single place he’d ever wanted to go. Maine was something special to Michael for some unknown reason but he didn’t care - all he wanted to do was get his special boy there and fulfill his dream.

 

“Tomorrow though,” Geoff pressed with an exaggerated eyebrow waggle that made his boy smile, dimples popping on his freckled cheeks. He gestured at the bartender and caught his attention, motioning for another round and getting a nod. “Let’s go see a garden or two and hatch a bunch of Pokemon Eggs, catch a long lunch, and go see a movie.”

 

If Michael had a tail, it would’ve wagged. He’d get Daddy’s attention all day long outside of a car ride? Those were his favorite days. They’d talk about anything and everything, eat good food, hold hands in the dark of a theater like teenagers… It all sounded perfect. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

 

“I’m excited,” Geoff stated before polishing off his second shot, chasing it with the last swig of his beer. He huffed with a grin and tapped the glass on the table. “We can relax and stretch our legs before the next big stretch of road. We can look up cool spots between here and-”

 

“Sir?”

 

The voice was quiet and they didn’t hear it at first.

 

“Um, I-I’m sorry…”

 

They turned their heads and finally saw the boy trying to get their attention. He was a soft little thing about Michael’s height, but younger. He had the dark shadow of a patchy beard and firm, pink lips that were being chewed at in nerves. His t-shirt had the bar logo on it and his jeans were ratty, worn out like it was the only pair he owned. He had a softness to his cheeks and tummy that could draw eyes from the right type.

 

Michael watched Geoff smile at the boy and sit up straighter, inked fingers drumming on the table. He knew when his Daddy was interested. He’d just never seen it directed at someone other than him before. It made his stomach clench unpleasantly. The kid seemed nervous and cute but Geoff was _his_.

 

“Hey, kiddo,” Geoff greeted, eyeing the tray the boy was carrying. “That for us?”

 

“Yes sir,” the boy replied, lowering the tray carefully and starting to put the drinks down. Two beers, one each, and dual shots for the older man. “Another round. Is this right? I-I can go back and fix it.”

 

“This is perfect, sweetheart,” Geoff assured him in a smooth, rumbling tone that made the air on the back of Michael’s neck rise. “You did great.”

 

Michael watched the boy blossom under the attention, hand going to his mouth briefly to hide the bulk of his smile. _Timid little thing_.

 

“What’s your name?” Geoff asked, scooting the drinks aside and leaning in to gaze up at the boy.

 

The busboy looked back at the bar as if he was checking for something but whatever it was, it wasn’t there. “Ray.”

 

  
“Cute little name for a cute kid,” Geoff charmed, savoring the way the boy’s cheeks warmed to a rosy glow. “That’s beautiful right there.”

 

“Sir,” Ray whispered, scrubbing his knuckles across his flushed cheek.

 

Geoff held out a hand. “Let me see your hands.”

 

“Sir?” Ray repeated dumbly with a frown.

 

“He’s as dumb as a parrot,” Michael chided.

 

“Michael, be good,” Geoff tisked sharply with a look that shut the boy up. His looked back the uncomfortable busboy and wiggled his fingers expectantly. “Hands. I won’t hurt you.”

 

Ray hesitated before he tucked the tray beneath his arm and held out his hands. He made a little sound when the man took them in his own but didn’t move to take them back. Geoff studied them, thumbs rubbing over the delicate bones along the back of his hands before turning them over. He thumbed down his palms and he felt the little shiver, saw the goosebumps that cropped up on Ray’s arms.

 

It was so endearing.

 

“I saw you picking up glass with your bare hands, sweetheart,” Geoff scolded lightly, giving his hands a squeeze. “You need to be careful. You got lucky this time. What if you sliced up these pretty fingers, huh?”

 

Ray gaped, tray slipping and clattering loudly to the floor. Geoff dropped his hands before the wrong eyes could look and Ray hurried to snatch it up. “I’ve gotta’ get back. I-Is there anything else I can get for you?”

 

“Not at the moment.” Geoff winked at him before nodding toward the bar. “Go on.”

 

Geoff watched the boy skitter away but when he looked back it was to a glare that sent a chill up his spine. He pursed his lips and stared Michael down.

 

“Baby boy,” he hushed. “Don’t be like that.”

 

“Cute, isn’t he?” Michael deadpanned, his new beer bottle already halfway drained from a frustrated chug. “So concerned for his pretty little hands.”  


Geoff shrugged, trying to roll it off. “He was picking up glass and he’s been run ragged all night. I just wanted to give him something to smile about.”

 

“You do have a weakness.” Michael dug his fingers into the cool glass, wishing his fingernails were digging into flesh instead.

 

Blue eyes narrowed. “For what?”

 

“Broken little birds,” Michael grit out, fingers dragging down the beer to drum mockingly on the table. “With pretty little fingers.”

 

Geoff sighed and scratched through his hair, cupping the back of his neck. “Michael, don’t make this into something it’s not.”

 

Michael stood up and the chair screeched across the wood. He smacked his hand on the table and leaned over, hovering just inches from his partner’s face. His eyes, usually such a warm chocolate, had gone steely. Geoff tensed but didn’t yield. He knew his boy well and he couldn’t show weakness. Instead he tilted his head curiously, waiting.

 

“If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

 

“He’s too soft for your tastes, old man,” Michael hissed, nails scritching on the old table. Geoff’s jaw visibly clenched and Michael gradually backed off, sucking his teeth and pushing down his jealousy. “It’s my turn to hustle. I’ll be by the pool tables.”  
  
“Don’t burn this place,” Geoff instructed cooly, keeping his head even as his boy chugged the rest of his beer. “I want to come back here at least once before we leave.”

 

“Yeah, to see your twink boyfriend,” Michael snapped, slamming down the glass and shedding his jacket. He tossed it over the back of the chair, shooting him one last filthy look at the man before heading towards the back of the bar. People usually gave Michael a pass because of his cherub-esque looks so he could hustle a fair amount without getting them kicked out of a bar. In rougher places, Geoff would handle things. He should’ve been doing them now but Michael looked determined.

 

“Oh baby,” Geoff sighed to himself, rubbing a hand over face. He loved Michael with everything he had. Michael owned every inch of him, everything he had was for that boy. He was his world. He hated hurting Michael like that, undercutting their trust just because he wanted to make a sad little boy smile. Michael was… different. He was unstable, raw, and something inside of him had cracked from all the hell he’d seen on the streets of New Jersey. They weren’t far from his boy’s old stomping grounds and it must have been frazzling his nerves.

 

Geoff had purposefully driven around and steered clear of Jersey on their way back north but old wounds opened easy for Michael. He’d gone on instinct, acting on his urge to help and soothe, and he’d stung his precious boy right where it hurt.

 

o0o

 

The next night, Michael went out on his own for dinner. He wouldn’t even kiss Geoff goodbye, would barely let the man peck his cheek and slip him some extra cash before he disappeared into a taxi to head into the heart of the city. Normally Geoff wouldn’t allow such a thing but Michael was in a mood and he himself had something to do alone. He’d make it up to him later.

 

He took the car into the city and back to the dive bar. The sun had been down for a few hours and the place was full. Geoff kept his demeanor casual and he eased his way through the bar, eyes roaming for one face in particular. He spotted Ray in the corner working over two tables that had been completely wrecked by patrons. The boy had two small trays and was fussing over them, stacking glasses and plates and trying to get all the trash off the floor. He moved like he was an inch from being whipped, nervous gaze darting all over as he hurried.

 

Geoff walked over and leaned against the wall, watching him with a small smile. “You always work so hard?”

 

Ray jumped and silverware fell out of his hand, clattering across the table. He turned and stared at him, surprised, even scared. Geoff held out a hand like he was trying to placate a spooked animal and kept his expression soft. The boy looked rough. There was a red mark on his cheek, a split on his lower lip, and he suspected that wasn’t all. “Hey, Ray.”

 

“Um, hi,” Ray greeted awkwardly, hands wiping across the front of his shirt. “I-I’m sorry, I don’t-”

 

The rest of his words dissolved into a stuttering mess and Geoff quietly hushed him.

 

“Ray? Ray, sweetheart, just take a breath for me.” He watched the boy take a deep breath, quieting down. “You’ve got quite the stutter there, don’t you?”

 

Ray nodded silently, biting his lower lip. The boy hissed quietly as his teeth found the wound there. Fresh blood oozed up from the fresh cut and he quickly licked it away.

 

“Do you talk to a lot of people, Ray?” Geoff asked, taking a step closer and leaning in to lower his voice. “Does someone not let you?”

 

“I’m really not supposed to…” Ray trailed off, looking to the bar.

 

“What? Talk to strangers?” Geoff tilted his head. “Talk to men?”

 

“Anyone,” Ray replied, hands wringing in front of him before he forced them down to his sides. “Who are you?”

 

“I’m Geoff, it’s nice to meet you.” Geoff held out his hand, putting on his most charming smile. The boy fluffed up like a preening dove under his stare. They shook hands and the poor thing’s palm was sweaty. “Don’t be nervous, Ray.”

 

“Why would I be-?” Ray choked off into a startled whine when the man grabbed his arm, letting go of his hand to tug up his sleeve. ‘No, don’t please!”

 

There were several sets of bruises there, one set brown enough to be a month old and another so fresh it was only a dark red. Blue little fingertip marks littered his shoulder and puckered scars peppered down his arm. Cigarette burns. Geoff’s stomach bottomed out and he heaved a sigh, loosening his grip and running his thumb over his arm in a featherlight caress.

 

“Oh baby,” he breathed, so different and so similar to his comment about Michael.

 

Ray didn’t even jerk his arm back. He just looked down at the floor.

 

“Who beat the fight out of you, sweetheart?” Geoff carefully pulled his sleeve back down, hiding most of the damage. “I bet there’s more. Am I right?”

 

Ray swallowed thickly and nodded.

 

“Talk to me,” Geoff urged, taking his hand off him but never his eyes. “It goes no farther than me, Ray. Is it your parents?”

 

Ray shook his head. “They’re not...really around.”

 

“Sweet boy all alone in this world, huh?” Geoff murmured, heart breaking for the poor thing. He watched Ray shudder all over and he swore the boy was going to fall to pieces right there in front of him. “I knew the second I saw you. Someone’s hurting you.”

 

Panic cut across the lad’s face.

 

“I have to go,” Ray suddenly burst. “You have to go. I-I can’t say anything. He’ll, he, I...I have to work.”

 

“Ray! Ray, wait!” Geoff made a grab at him but the boy was too fast for him. He darted away and through the double doors of the kitchen. Geoff wanted so badly to go after him and help, to give him someone to talk to, but he could already feel suspicious eyes on him.

 

He had to let it go, maybe come back again if he could. Disappearing like this once was risky enough with Michael’s jealous temper and he wasn’t sure he’d get away with it again.

 

Geoff left the bar and on the drive back to the hotel he tried to make himself forget about Ray. About his injuries, the stutter, the easy way he blushed… He had to wipe that all away. He had Michael, he’d _saved_ Michael, and he couldn’t go around picking up strays.

 

No matter how much his heart hurt for that poor boy, he wouldn’t save Ray to lose Michael.

 

o0o0o0o

 

Pretty grunts punched out of Michael with each thrust. Cinnamon curls tossed messily against the pillow and he pawed uselessly at the bed, thighs quivering as they were easily tossed over his partner’s shoulders. The thick cock carved him open with each rut, the silver piercing dragging over a puffy rim to bring out shuddering moans.

 

“Nnn, _Daddy!_ ”

 

“That’s my good boy, my sweet Michael.”

 

Michael swooned under the praise and rolled his hips as much as he could. Geoff had him rolled up to fuck deep and he had no leverage. His Daddy was taking care of him, giving him the treatment he deserved, but there was something off tonight. Geoff kept giving little headshakes, eyes clenched shut as if he was trying to dislodge unwanted thoughts. Geoff was so rarely out of control that the small, seconds-long gestures stood out to the boy. Michael kept bearing down on him to make himself as tight as possible, tuning his moans to be extra sweet to try and keep Geoff’s attention.

 

“Daddy?” he whined in frustration, wrapping his arms around Geoff’s shoulder to claw pink lacquered nails into his back. The man hissed in his ear before nuzzling beneath it. The silence struck Michael and his erection flagged between them, the first of envious flames licking at his chest. He rubbed his cheek against Geoff’s in a last ditch attempt to bring him back into the moment but the man only buried his face in his neck.

 

Michael dropped his knees off Geoff’s shoulders between thrusts, hands gradually sliding down under the man’s arms. His lover was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t feel the purposeful positioning until it was too late. Michael flipped them over, thighs trapping Geoff’s own and fingers curling tight around the man’s wrists. Michael liked to look pretty and soft for his Daddy but he wasn’t a weakling, he likes to go running and lift weights as much as the next young man.

 

Just sometimes he wore a cute sports bra or mascara while doing it.

 

Geoff stared up at him with a guilty, furrowed brow and his lip caught between his teeth. He didn’t strain against the too-tight grip, he merely slumped into the bed and avoided eye contact.

 

“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you? That bar kid?” Michael accused hotly, scowling when he felt the man’s softening prick slip out of him. “That’s all it took to make you lose interest?”  


“I’m sorry, Michael,” Geoff apologized sincerely, shame hot in his heart. “I’m just worried about him. Someone at home is hurting him and I’m just afraid…” He trailed off but Michael’s gaze didn’t waver. “One day they’ll find him dead in an alley. Gentle boys like him don’t last long once someone decides to start beating on them.”

 

Michael’s mind was a hornet’s nest. The buzz was so strong he couldn’t hear about Ray’s plight, eyes blinded to the signs of abuse and ears deaf to the innocent concern in Geoff’s voice. From Geoff’s confession he heard only that he was being neglected for another boy. Some busboy had stolen his Daddy’s attention and Michael couldn’t take it back with even raw physical pleasure. Ray, a stranger, had somehow become _important_.

 

“You were fucking _me_ and thinking about _him_ ,” Michael spat, feeling prickly and sharp inside like he’s swallowed glass. “You were taking care of _me_ and I wasn’t even on your mind.”

 

“It’s not like that at _all_ ,” Geoff swore, eyes snapping up to his lover’s livid gaze. “You know it isn’t! I love you, Michael. You’re my boy, my everything.” He turned Michael’s wrists and slid their palms together to lace their fingers, squeezing to try and ground him. “I’m sorry about tonight. I should’ve told you I was worrying. I promised myself I’d let him go and I am. He’s not worth upsetting you like this.”

 

Michael’s full lip drew back into a deadly snarl. “You were using me. Like those men, like _all_ those men. I thought we were making love, that my Daddy was being good to me… but I was just a fuckhole while you tried not to say Ray’s name, wasn’t it I?”

 

“No!” Geoff swore in a quiet panic, heart thudding up hard against his ribs. “God no, Michael. Christ, that’s not it at all! I’ve never thought of anyone else while I’ve been with you, baby. I promise you that. I told you the truth when you asked, didn’t I?”  


“ _After_ I realized you were distracted.”

 

“But that’s all it was,” Geoff insisted, rubbing his thumbs over the back of the boy’s hands. “I want to kill every man who made you feel like that, Michael. Every man who used you without a thought… They’re monsters. I want to be different. That’s why I took you away from all that. You are my precious boy and I never want to make you feel anything but loved. I’m sorry I didn’t do that tonight. You deserve better.”

 

Michael’s nose scrunched up. “Because you’re not like those men?”

 

“Because if I ever made you feel like they made you feel, I’d never forgive myself.”

 

Michael wet his lips as he mulled it over, eyes dragging down Geoff’s inked chest and settling at his gut. Geoff didn’t know what his boy was thinking but he could see the cold mask sliding over his expressive face. Michael was shutting him out, collapsing in on himself to become a razor edge diamond. It was chilling to watch but it always gave him a sick thrill to know that this fascinating, icy creature was _his_.

 

Michael bent down low over him, chests barely brushing and noses skimming. The kiss was surprising and chaste but Geoff didn’t make a move. He felt his boy’s breath fan over his lips and he wanted to apologize again but he knew better than to do much when Michael had that glint in his eye.

 

“You don’t get to replace me,” Michael whispered, each word trickling into Geoff’s mouth like a poisoned promise. “I’ll kill us both before that happens, Daddy.”

 

o0o

 

Michael shut down on him that night and the morning after. He stopped responding and went silent after the blatant threat, ignoring Geoff’s concern as he slipped back on his clothes. A brief trip to the bathroom and his boy was back in bed, curled up on his side under the covers like nothing had ever happened. Geoff watched with dawning horror as Michael just fell asleep without a word. He was almost too afraid to sleep with Michael so unstable but somehow he woke up the next morning, alive and unharmed.

 

“Baby?” Geoff called from the bed, watching the boy change into a fresh pair of clothes and go through his wallet for all his cash. “What are you going to do.”

 

“What I have to.” MIchael pocketed the bills in his jacket before shoving his feet into his sneakers without bothering with the laces. “I won’t be back tonight. I have my phone.”

 

Geoff let him leave despite how heavy his heart was. He couldn’t get between Michael and what laid at the end of his tunnel vision. He knew Michael didn’t want to hurt him but he also knew that if the boy was ever pushed hard enough he would end them both and think it a profound mercy. He loved Michael and everything he was, and that meant accepting the dark shadows that swam in his boy’s mind.

 

Michael had such trouble processing any emotions outside his own. He learned in a more hands on way. If he was going after Ray then he hoped Michael would see Ray as the battered little boy he was instead of some kind of competition.

  
Next time he’d keep his eyes to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael takes a liking to Ray. And Ray stays, and stays, and stays...

**I'm working on the last chapter now. It has the smut I promised and some more of dark!Michael. Feedback would be really, really great right now. Hope you guys like it <3**

 

* * *

 

 

Michael walked the mile to the nearest bus stop and rode it all the way into the city. He kept to himself and out of sight as much as possible, head bowed to shield his face from any cameras. He doubted the few he saw were functional but he wouldn’t take a risk. What he planned to do would require a light step and anonymity. He’d killed before but it was mostly bloated tricks or terrified, methed-out whores who no one would miss. The first he’d offed was when the sweaty fucks for crumpled bills weighed too heavy on his troubled mind and he couldn’t take another moment. The second he’d done just to feel the rush of life slipping through his fingers.

 

He’d been numb inside before he met Geoff. So often he’d wanted to remember what it felt like to be normal. Snuffing out tweaked out street trash had done that for him. Now he had Geoff. The craving to kill was gone but apparently not the need. 

 

Michael spent the day relaxing, biding his time and thinking through every aspect of his plan. He got breakfast and then spent the next few hours in a Barnes & Noble pouring over crime books, fueling himself with pastries and Starbucks. He got fun with lunch and splurged on burgers, stuffing himself full. He took a picture of his lips wrapped around a milkshake straw and sent it to Geoff, making sure to slap on a filter that emphasized the pink of his mouth.

 

Just because he was a little upset with Daddy didn’t mean he loved him any less. Or didn’t enjoy teasing him.

 

He caught a nap and a few more books at the store before evening hit. Michael left and bought some non-descript clothes at a run down Target that looked like it was on its hind legs. A black tank and a zip hoodie, some dark cargo pants, cheap tennis shoes, and a backpack. The only weapon he needed was the navy-handled butterfly knife he’d had since he was thirteen. It was the one thing he’d protected and taken care of. It was sharp, capable, and it made him feel kind of badass.

 

And it scared the shit out of everyone he showed it too.

 

Maybe it was impractical to use his own knife but he didn’t plan on getting caught. They’d be out of state by the time they found Ray’s body.

 

Michael bought a pack of cigarettes at a grimy gas station where the clerk couldn’t pull his eyes away from his nudie mag long enough to identify him even if he had a gun to his head. He found a secluded stoop behind an old fence and made himself scarce down the street from the dive bar, smoking and playing on his phone and  _ waiting _ . He wasn’t eager or impatient to get this done. He could wait as long as it took. 

 

He’d say it wasn’t personal but that would be a lie. 

 

The nap kept him awake along with a binge read of list articles. Before he knew it, it was clicking on past two AM and the street was clearing out. Michael went with his gut and decided to get close. He crept to the back alley with his head ducked and found a secluded spot behind a dumpster to change. He rolled his normal clothes up tight and stuffed them into the bottom of his backpack, taking out his knife and gloves. He clipped the blade to his belt and slipped on the faux-leather, letting it cling tight to his fingers and creak faintly when he made a fist. He pulled out a beanie he planned to burn later and slid it over his curls, tucking them all away. 

 

The less that could be used to identify him the better.

 

He stowed the pack behind the dumpster and started toward the dive. The street had cleared out even more up front and the small parking lot was empty. The windows were dim even for a dive bar and it seemed like the front was completely shut down. Michael would’ve thought his suspicions were except for the back door was unlocked and there was a bike chained up to a pipe beside the empty trashcans. 

 

Ray was their whipping boy. That’s what Geoff had implied at least. If it was the owner of the bar, it made sense to have the little brat clean up by himself into the late hours of the night.

 

Michael had been in about every room in every other bar in New Jersey to get fucked or fucked over. This one was no different. He made his way through the kitchen and kept his ears tuned for the sound of others. He couldn’t hear or see anyone right off until he went through the far door and came into the front room. He ducked behind the bar the moment he spotted the kid and kept his breaths quiet.

 

Ray was shuffling from table to table with a noticeable limp and a long sleeved light jacket. There was a fresh bruise on the side of his face and cut on his lip. Someone had been smacking him around for sure. Michael steeled himself and slipped the knife off his belt, flicking it open with a flourish. Geoff liked them broken and he wasn’t going to let this spitfuck replace him. Geoff was  _ his  _ Daddy and he wasn’t going to be tossed aside for fresh, tenderized meat.

 

Ray was distracted and Michael wasn’t going to give him a chance to spot him. This needed to be done fast and easy. Slit his throat and leave him to bleed out. Take the cash, search for cameras, make it look like a robbery gone wrong. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for Yonkers and the police were already stretched thin enough that one beat up brat’s death would get wrapped up quick. 

 

Michael remembered vividly how shit and overworked New York police were. This was going to be open and shut.

 

He waited until Ray had picked up the full tray of glasses and dishes before he made his move. The boy was carrying it to another set of dirty tables and Michael stalked with careful feet toward him. He pictured it perfectly - reach around, grab his chin, jerk his head back, drag the blade over the soft of his throat. Messy but quick and he would have Daddy’s attention all to himself again.

 

Michael was still a few feet away but the boy cried out. The tray wobbled before toppling, dishes and trash flying everywhere while glass hit the floor and exploded. Ray whimpered and fell over, doubling over on himself while glass cut through his jeans. Michael watched curiously as the boy cradled his arm and rocked himself. He flinched when he heard the first wet sob and he dropped the hand holding the knife.

 

Ray suddenly started shedding his jacket, whining in frustration before throwing it off. Michael saw the marks and the first tendrils of doubt started to weave through his calculated plan. The boy’s arm was stained in heavy patches of scarlet and his hand was shaking, a thick pucker of seared flesh glistening on his forearm. Someone had burned him with a cigar. Someone had grabbed and shook him so hard they’d sprained something if the limb was too weak to support a tray.

 

“Why?” Ray wheezed to himself, hiccuping as he carefully cradled his arm against his chest. When he hunched, Michael could see the purple fingerprint bruises on his nape. Someone had treated him like a  _ dog _ . “Why, why, I…”

 

Ray was a true mess. 

 

Michael walked up behind him and tapped his knife against his shoulder, getting no pleasure out of the startled shout the boy let out. “Hey.”

 

Terrified dark eyes looked up at him and Ray looked just like prey, big scared doe eyes and a sense of helplessness in his face.

 

“Who did that to you?”

 

o0o

 

Geoff got a call from Michael. It was simple, short.

 

_ Come to the bar. You know which one. Use the back door, it’s open. _

 

It wasn’t what he’d been dreading but it wasn’t exactly reassuring either. With Michael it was always about extremes. He wasn’t sure if he was just going to pick his boy up from some light stalking or if he was going to help get rid of a body. His stomach was in sick knots the whole drive into the heart of a city as he thought of Ray’s mangled body. Michael could be a hellcat when he was in one of his furies. He was afraid of what he’d find.

 

Whatever he was walking into, he did it knowing he would support Michael. He would get them through this.

 

Geoff got to the dive bar about three AM. There were very few on the street and certainly none in their right mind to remember him. The small parking lot for the dive was empty but there was a bike chained up by the back. It was open like Michael said and that worried him. He’d half hoped his boy was pranking him but he knew better than that. Michael didn’t joke when he was in one of his moods. He made his way through the back room, the kitchen, and stopped short of the door to the main room. He didn’t want to look, not just yet. He gave himself a moment to imagine if they’d saved Ray like he’d saved Michael.

 

They could’ve been friends, those boys. He could have loved them both. _ There was never any choosing, Michael. I could never replace you. _

 

Geoff pushed open the door and walked past the bar, vision narrowing down to the black clad figure sitting in the middle of the room. A dark hat had been tossed aside to reveal curls.  _ Michael _ . His boy had his back to him and was holding on to someone. From here he could see a pair of jean-clad legs from where the person was curled up against Michael and there was bloody tears in the denim. The discarded, red stained glass beside them told him what he needed to know. He didn’t see a knife and he could hear quiet sobs and hushing.

 

Geoff made his way across the bar and stepped over the mess of debris from a fallen tray. He circled around and the tight bind in his chest finally relaxed. Michael was holding Ray in his arms and petting the back of the boy’s head as he buried his face in his shirt and cried. Ray’s arms were covered in new bruises and burns and he let out the breath he’d been holding the whole drive.

 

“Look at what his uncle did to him,” Michael demanded, cradling the back of Ray’s neck protectively. Ray tensed and peeked out from the dark jacket to spot Geoff. He flinched and curled up tighter against Michael. “That asshole owns this place. Ray’s parents are locked up for some trumped up drug charges and his uncle thinks he owns him now. He’s made him work here almost twenty-four-seven since he got out of high school. Look at him, Geoff.”

 

“Ray?” he called softly to get the boy to look at him again. “Hey, sweetheart. Are you okay? Is Michael taking care of you?”

 

Ray nodded a little, fingers curled deep in his jacket. Michael made another hushing noise and pet him, being so heartbreakingly gentle that it made Geoff suspicious.

 

“Michael, if this is a game, Ray doesn’t want to play,” Geoff stated firmly, squatting down and staring down his boy. “If you’re going to do something, do it now.”

 

Michael looked taken aback and he almost believed it. “I’m not  _ playing _ . I came here and I found him hurt like this. No one’s ever listened to him before.”

 

Ray sniffed and rubbed his tears away though more bubbled up. “Michael believes me. No one’s ever done that. E-Everyone just wants me to...”

 

Geoff reached out and rested his knuckles on the boy’s discolored cheek. Ray didn’t flinch and it made his heart skip. “To what, sweetheart?”

 

“Shut up,” Ray mumbled, head tilting up to look at the other boy with blind adoration. “But not Michael. He listened to me, he…”

 

It clicked in his head. “No one’s ever touched you nice like this, have they?” 

 

Ray shook his head, knuckles going white as he clung to Michael.

 

“It’s okay, Ray,” Michael promised, leaning down and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Neither of us will hurt you. We’re here to help.”

 

Ray blinked at Geoff, grip gradually lessening on the other boy. “You believe me too?”

 

“Of course I do,” Geoff swore. “I can see those marks, sweetheart. I know someone’s hurting you. It’s your uncle, then? And he owns this place? Makes you work here?”

 

“All the time,” Ray admitted, starting to tremble like a leaf in Michael’s lap. “He...he makes me live upstairs in the storage room. I’m not allowed to leave without him. I mess up all the time and he gets so angry with me. No matter who I talk to, they just shove me back into that room.”

 

The boy’s voice dipped and quivered as he spoke. It sounded as if he’d never said those words before.

 

“Have you talked to the police?” Geoff urged carefully. 

 

Ray licked his lip, the cut there glistening. “They won’t listen. The few I’ve tried to go they literally drag me back here. My uncle’s well known and loved here, especially in this community. He overlooks a lot of things and does favors for cops. I don’t know if everyone knows about me and looks the other way o-or no one knows me or cares.”

 

Michael smoothed back what there was of Ray’s hair and made a soft little noise. Ray leaned into it but there was something sour in his expression that Geoff caught. The man dropped fully to his knees and scooted closer until he could feel the heat coming off his boys. Geoff reached out again but this time he ran his fingers over the shaved side of Ray’s head. Ray’s nose scrunched up and he turned his head away, pushing closer to Michael.

 

“Does he make you do this?” Geoff ran his thumb over the smooth skin and the boy really did wince this time. He looked at Michael and his boy’s eyes were sharp, knowing. “Does he hurt you when you don’t?”

 

Ray clenched his eyes shut and nodded, mouth quivering before he got the courage to speak. “I used to let it grow. I-It gets curly when it’s long and I like it that way. But my uncle says it makes me look like a faggot.” 

 

The word stuttered on his tongue and he ducked his head in shame. 

 

“Who fucking cares?” Michael growled out. “He has no right to shave you like a dog.”

 

“Michael,” Geoff chided.

 

Michael looked at his lover expectantly but Geoff was already moving closer. He took Ray’s chin between his fingers and turned his head, making the boy look him in the eyes.

 

“I bet you look beautiful with your curls,” Geoff cooed, keeping his voice low to calm the shaking boy. “Bet they make you feel like the pretty boy you are.”

 

“I-I’m not,” Ray flustered, glancing up at the other boy. “Boys like Michael are.”

 

Geoff wondered what Michael had said to Ray to make him trust him so quickly. That, or if Ray was just so starved for touch and attention that he fell into the first kind touch.

 

“I think you’re pretty,” MIchael whispered in his ear, letting his lips brush the sensitive skin. “And so does Geoff. He couldn’t take his eyes off you or stop thinking about you.” Ray blushed, red flushing around the bruises. Michael smiled and dropped a kiss at the curve of his boy’s jaw. “You made Daddy worry  _ so  _ much.”

 

Ray choked on the title and stared at Geoff with those innocent doe eyes. They got to the man and he wanted to kiss him in that moment, to kiss every mark on his body until he washed the pain away. There was something fragile in Ray, he could see it clear as day. It reminded him of the same, desperate look Michael gave him last year in the that filthy motel room before they disappeared together into the night.

 

Michael had never called him  _ Daddy _ in front of someone else before. That meant something.

 

“I’d never make you cut off your curls,” Geoff promised, thumb trailing down to rub at the boy’s warm cheek. Ray whined and leaned into the touch. “I’d never make you do something you didn’t want to. I’d let you grow your hair out and give you anything you wanted, just like I do Michael.”

 

“He’s so good to me like that,” Michael crooned, hand splayed over the boy’s chest to feel the rise and fall of his quickening breaths. “He spoils me.”

 

“He’s got so many thigh highs,” Geoff chuckled, watching intently as something sparked in the boy’s eyes. “Skirts, dresses, anything my boy wants.”

 

Ray’s breath hitched loudly and Michael dropped another kiss on his jaw. “It’s okay, Rayray.”

 

“Y-You don’t think it’s weird to want something like that?” Ray whimpered uncertainly. “Even if it’s just pretty socks?”

 

Michael’s smile was a beam of sunshine and Ray melted under it, sinking into his embrace. “Yeah. Daddy buys me all kinds of things that make me happy. You should see my make up.”

 

Ray’s eyes got all round and he stuttered out a shy babble of uncertainty. 

 

“He wants me to be myself and he loves to look at me. And that stuff makes me feel pretty.” Ray looked like he was going to burst into embarassed flames as Michael brushed their noses in a faint nuzzle. “Do those kinds of things make you feel pretty Ray?”

 

Ray crumbled and buried his face in Michael’s jacket, shoulders visibly shaking as he breathed through the potent mix of excitement and panic inside him. “My uncle would kill me. He hurts me now just for being-” He sobbed and drew tighter on himself.

 

“For what?” Geoff prompted.

 

“ _ Soft _ ,” he hissed the word like a filthy secret and his face was beet red. 

 

“Baby,” Geoff husked as he wrapped an arm around them both, leaning in. Ray whined at the closeness but couldn’t open his eyes. He jumped when the man’s lips skimmed his cheek but he made no move to dislodge himself. His legs uncurled a little, brushing Geoff’s own. “What’s wrong with being soft?”

 

Ray’s eyes fluttered open but he didn’t look at either of them. 

 

“Hey,” Michael said softly, bouncing him a little and smiling down at him again. “Why don’t you come stay at the hotel with us for tonight? I’ll help you clean up here and you can tell him you were staying with a friend.”

 

“He’ll get upset,” Ray protested weakly, agreement already written across his face. “Maybe I can get away with tomorrow, but after that I don’t know. I-I don’t want to give him a reason, you know?”

 

“We get it.” Michael nosed at him and the boy finally gave a little smile. “We’ll bring you back.”

 

Geoff knew one of Michael’s candy floss lies when he heard it.

 

“Yeah, kid. It’ll be no problem.”

 

o0o

 

_ “Sleep in here with me.” _

 

Geoff bought a second room at the hotel so the boys could have one to themselves while he stayed right next door. The walls were paper thin but the beds were comfortable. It was so late when they got to the hotel that the boys crashed immediately, side by side and tuckered out from a long day.

 

“I haven’t slept through the night in a long time,” Ray muttered into the pillow, smiling when he felt the other’s hand lay on his back. No one had ever touched him with such casual ease before. Even his past girlfriends treated him like he was delicate, always eyeing his bruises like they could catch them if they got too close. Michael wasn’t afraid to touch him.

 

He fell asleep feeling protected.

 

o0o

 

_ “Stay for breakfast. Our treat.” _

 

Michael convinced Ray to stay for breakfast with a trip to the nearest Denny’s. Geoff bought the boys whatever they wanted and drove them back to the hotel to the tune of their happy moans of fullness. They all piled in the main room and turned on the cable, bingeing  _ CSI  _ and catching a  _ Walking Dead _ marathon

 

Michael was on the bed in just his boxers with Ray sitting between his legs, back braced against the headboard. Michael’s chin rested on the boy’s shoulder and his arms looped around his waist. Ray was on the other’s DS and going through his Pokemon, both of them laughing at the names and picking ones to rename.

 

“Ramsey’s a baby still,” Michael said as Ray clicked on his Beldum. “I’m saving him for the next game. Psychic and Steel, you can’t beat it.”

 

“That’s one of my favorites, I still remember Steven,” Ray chuckled, clicking over. “You named your Flareon ‘Temper’? That’s fucking adorable.”

 

Michael grinned as he finally heard Ray cuss. “You should see all the Game of Thrones names.”

 

“Jorah, Margaery, Stannis, Jon - I can tell.”   

 

Michael pressed his cheek against Ray and sighed happily. He slowly worked his hands up under the boy’s shirt and he felt a thrill as his palms hit bare skin. Ray didn’t pull away and he counted it as a victory as he rubbed little circles on the boy’s soft stomach. 

 

“Why do you have all the past starters in this box?”

 

“Hey, the new game comes out next year. I need to get my pre-team ready. I need  _ choices _ .”

 

“The couple hours of the games are pretty crap,” Ray snorted in amusement. “Normal, normal, bird, bug, bug, water. Boring.” 

 

“Yep.”

 

o0o

 

_ “Not yet, please?” _

 

Ray barely touched the doorknob before his other hand was grabbed and he was playfully pulled away from the door. Ray laughed at Michael’s exaggerated pout and stumbled as he was tugged on. “Michael! Really, I have to go.”

 

It was almost three and he was getting antsy about his uncle. Usually they didn’t talk until the dive was up and running for the night but he was almost certain the man had noticed he wasn’t in his ‘room’. He should’ve left after breakfast but Michael was convincing and he was having fun hanging out. Now the other had put on the big puppy eyes and his heart was fluttering.

 

“Don’t look at me like that!” Ray begged, pulling at his hand. Michael broke out into giggles and pulled him in close, nuzzling his hair. Michael had so many cattish qualities and Ray basked in the nuzzles, the way he’d brush his cheek against him, the pets - it made him feel special. “Michael, come  _ on _ .”

 

Michael swung him towards the bed and inked hands caught his waist. He only laughed as he landed in Geoff’s lap though his cheeks grew warm. Geoff’s bright blue gaze was a trap he kept happily falling into. They didn’t devour him like Michael’s did but instead enveloped him, welcoming him. Geoff was turning that charming smile on him now and he felt like a fluttering bird in his embrace. He watched the man’s hand rise up and he tried not to make a pathetic sound when his thumb brushed his lip. He still had a mark there from his uncle’s swift backhand but Geoff was careful.

 

“Hungry again yet, Ray?” Geoff asked with a fatherly tenderness that hit Ray in the gut but in a nice way.

 

“All we’ve done is lay around and eat today,” Ray protested with a chuckle. “I should go to work.”

 

“Isn’t it great to take a day off though?” Michael insisted, plopping down at the end of the bed. “Couple more hours with us - what’s the harm? 

 

“He probably hasn’t even noticed you’ve gone,” Ray admitted quietly. 

 

“He doesn’t miss you and  _ we  _ would,” Michael pointed out. He broke out into a grin and gave him a little eyebrow waggle. “There’s an arcade like ten minutes from here. Let’s go.”

 

“I’ve got the quarters,” Geoff tempted.

 

He looked between the pair and chuckled. He felt compelled by the eagerness on their faces. “How the hell am I supposed to say no to that?”

  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Michael doesn't really understand a subdrop so Ray does drop for a minute here. 
> 
> Le Sexy Brainwash Blowie Time

**[Michael's ring](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/fa/38/2e/fa382e9a1ebf9ff6668bd16b509308e8.jpg) **

 

* * *

 

 

_ “It’s already late as fuck. If you’re going to get in trouble, you might as well have another good night’s sleep.” _

 

It was hard to argue that. Despite how late they’d gotten in that first night, Ray had slept like a rock. The day he spent with Geoff and Michael had been amazing and he felt so spoiled, so loved from all the chaste cheek kisses and hugs. No one had ever been so affectionate with him or so sweet. He spent long stretches of time in their laps or curled close, playing on his phone or Michael’s DS or just watching TV. Ray strangely felt  _ alive _ . He spent his days pretending he didn’t exist and trying to find solace in the numbing repetition of first person shooters.  

 

He couldn’t say no. He needed to leave, he tried to, but every time Michael and Geoff lured him back with silky smiles. Eventually he decided he didn’t care what his uncle did to him. The pair would leave town soon and he wanted to bask in the attention while he had it.

 

Ray lounged on the bed and waited for Michael to get back from his shower. The room smelled like cherries and so did he. He’d bathed first and used Michael’s soap and shampoo. It made his skin smell like ripe fruit and he felt closer to Michael somehow because of it. He’d found various creams and makeup all over the bathroom sink while he was in there and he’d picked up a few, examining them with careful fingers before sitting them back down. Beauty products for someone who was naturally handsome. It was strange and different but somehow endearing, exciting.

 

Geoff had gone to his own room for the night after a long, heavy kiss between him and Michael and Ray was still a little warm from the sight. He and Geoff had bonded closely over a love for cult classics and it had got him in the mood for some over the top vampires. He’d found  _ Lost Boys _ on cable and Michael had laughed when he’d seen it playing. Michael had the strangest smile when he commented about how it was appropriate.

 

He didn’t get to ask what he meant by that before the other disappeared to clean up.

 

Michael emerged from the bathroom with an airy sigh and a towel thrown over his head. “That feels so much better. I hate New York summers.”

 

Whatever clever response Ray had died on his tongue as his mouth dropped open in a blatant gape. Michael scrubbed his hair one last time before hanging his towel on the doorknob, revealing damp, fluffy curls. Ray couldn’t tear his eyes away. Michael had put on pink panties with a thick, flowered lace edge and a white tank that hugged the curves of his stomach. Ray felt almost over dressed in his boxers and t-shirt, plain in contrast to his new friend. 

 

Michael looked so breathtakingly,  _ effortlessly  _ pretty.

 

Michael walked over and plopped onto the bed beside him, chuckling again at the TV before his eyes slid over to the boy. Ray felt his cheeks flare hot as he became the sole object of the other’s attention. His gaze dipped shyly and his eyes got on something shiny. Michael was wearing a ring on his left hand right where a wedding ring would go. It was a twine of silver metal, the inner band adorned with flawless diamonds. The bands came together in the middle to hug a larger gem that looked like it caged a rainbow of brilliance. Michael hadn’t worn it before and he assumed he didn’t want to show off something so expensive in a dive bar. 

 

“You like it?” Michael tilted his hand so the diamond caught the light. “Geoff gave it to me on our half year anniversary. Six months isn’t even that long but he wanted to show me how much I meant to him. We’re not married or anything, not like it’d be legal, but it’s close enough.”

 

“It’s beautiful,” Ray awed, watching it sparkle.

 

Michael hummed before laying his hand on the bed. “So, Ray, do you have a girlfriend?”

 

“Not at the moment,” Ray managed to get out, gaze flickering down to the other boy’s thighs. The hair there looked silky, lighter at the top and darkening the closer it was to his panty line. He wondered how dark it got, how thick the curls were beneath the cotton. There was no treasure trail to follow, just smooth skin and the dip of his hips. Ray’s teeth caught his lip as his eyes followed the subtle ‘v’ that led to the delicate elastic and small bow. The panties fit  _ so  _ well, hugging his dick just right to show off the obvious bulge but not cutting into his skin at all.

 

Ray startled himself out of his own thoughts, blushing more as he realized the other was staring with a knowing little smile. 

 

“A boyfriend?” Michael prompted teasingly. “Anyone who’s getting pissed that we’re stealing you away?”

 

“No one,” Ray assured him, trying not to sound too pathetic.

 

“Good,” Michael hummed, leaning back on his hands. He seemed to watch the movie for a few minutes before he spoke up again. “No one you’re seeing at all? No fuck buddies or anything?”

 

“Jesus,” Ray chuckled, rubbing at his red cheek. “No, Michael. There’s no one.”

 

“Has there been?” Michael pressed without missing a beat.

 

“Well,” Ray hesitated, the words sticking in his throat as he remembered a dozen disgusted and pitying looks. “A few girlfriends but nothing serious. They never really stuck around long. My uncle isn’t exactly welcoming and once they see the bruises it’s usually over pretty fast.”

 

Michael laid a hand on his knee and it felt like the warmth bled into him. He tried not to make a sound but it was hard when he seemed so sensitive. Every brush got a reaction out of him and he felt silly but the last thing he was going to do was complain.

 

“So you never popped your cherry, huh?” Michael tisked with a smile. “Shame. You’re cute as fuck. Those girls missed out.”

 

Ray let out a nervous little laugh. “It never really felt right.”

 

“Looks like it feels right now.”

 

Ray followed the other’s gaze and he choked on his own spit when he realized he was hard. There was no point in trying to hide the noticeable tent in his boxers but he was just thankful the material was thick so it wasn’t obscene. “Fuck. I-I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t be,” Michael purred. “Has anyone ever kissed you?  _ Really  _ kissed you?”

 

Ray made a high, surprised sound before he could swallow it down. “What?”

 

“You know what I mean, Ray.” The hand on his knee slid up, knuckles bumping against the hem of his boxers. “Has someone ever made you feel  _ special _ ? Swept you away?”

 

“Uh, no,” Ray stuttered, briefly biting his lip. “Never.”

 

“No one’s ever gotten you alone like this?” Michael prowled on the bed, moving around in front of him with an easy grace. Ray swallowed as his shins were grabbed and he was slowly drug forward, hands slipping on the bedspread. He thumped onto his back, eyes wide and pillow crushing around his head. “Got you all vulnerable?”

 

Ray shook his head as Michael crawled over him. His eyes went wide as Michael straddled him, just seeing those tempting thighs parting over his waist was enough to steal his breath.

 

“No one’s ever done this?” Michael asked sweetly, reaching out and plucking off Ray’s glasses. He set them aside on the nightstand before turning his all-consuming gaze back on the nervous boy. “No one’s ever look at you like they want to eat you up?”

 

“No,” Ray breathed out as the other leaned over him. Michael took one of his hands and pinned it a little above his head but the touch was gentle. Their fingers laced together and he could feel the cold touch of Michael’s ring. Their noses almost touched and Ray could see the endless depths of Michael’s eyes, could feel his breath fanning across his lips. His own breaths stuttered out as he got lost in that gaze, basking in the warmth of the boy’s body pressed against his own. “No one’s ever consumed you, Ray?”

 

The words were dropped onto his lips like little brands and he swallowed down each one.

 

“N-No.”

 

“Let me,” Michael whispered, his voice full of such ravenous hunger that he suspected those plump lips hid fangs. “Let me close.”

 

“W-Why? You...you’re…”  _ Beautiful. Terrifying. Too good for me. You have Geoff. You don’t need some broken little fuck messing up everything. _

 

“I want you,” Michael confessed, voice steady and never looking away. “ _ Desperately _ .”

 

Ray’s gasped much too loudly at the fierce, unyielding tone. It sounded so sincere, so needy, that he couldn’t help but believe him. And that belief sent white-hot heat rushing between his thighs. 

 

Then Michael kissed him and his mind blanked out. It was innocent, dry lips pressed to his own in a shock of contact. They didn’t even close their eyes. Ray stared as the other pulled back just an inch, smiling at him as his other hand slid up to cup the back of his head. He let Michael tilt his head to the side and was rewarded with another kiss. 

 

It was everything Ray had thought a kiss should be. Michael’s tongue flicked along his lower lip and the wetness made him shiver. Teeth dragged over his lower lip and the slight sting from his healing cut only made everything more  _ real _ . Michael chuckled against his mouth and Ray smiled, his chest full of strong butterflies that beat their nervous wings against his ribcage. Michael’s panties slid against him as they moved together in subtle grinds. He knew he was starting to strain against his boxers but he could feel Michael’s own stiff dick rubbing up against his leg.

 

Their hands squeezed again and he ran his thumb over the edge of the diamond there. 

 

They started to really move together as arousal burned through their blood. Their kiss turned more insistent. Ray finally gave in and parted his lips. Michael took without hesitation, licking into his mouth with expert curls of his tongue. He moaned at the slick, new feeling. It was strange at first but he found himself loving the wet grind, Michael’s tongue trapping his own in a dance he got swept up in. The hand on his head slid down to his throat and fingertips pressed to feel his jumping pulse.

 

Michael suddenly pushed down to steal some of his air and he arched into it. He should’ve been scared with a stranger close to choking him but he was throbbing in the scratchy prison of his boxers. He wanted to feel  _ more _ . He wanted to feel whatever Michael was willing to give him.

 

“You’re a pretty little ray of sunshine,” Michael murmured against his lips just as his hand closed tight around his neck. Ray felt a momentary flash of fear but he felt his cock twitch against Michael’s thigh and he knew the other boy could feel it. “Geoff thinks so. But there’s just a tiny bit of darkness in you, huh?”

 

“I-I’m not bad,” Ray gasped, touching the other’s wrist as worry bubbled up. The nagging feeling faded when Michael’s fingers loosened and pet his tingling throat.

 

“No, baby, you’re not,” Michael crooned. “But you’ve seen it, looked it right in the face.”

 

His brows pinched in silent question.

 

“ _ Fear _ . You know what it’s like to fight for your life.” Ray watched Michael’s cherubic features go  _ hard  _ and his tone clip tight. It was unsettling but like with this whole visit he couldn’t look away or make himself point it out. “But you survived. You’re  _ going  _ to survive. No one’s going to hurt you again, Ray. Daddy will protect you.”

 

Michael kissed him again and Ray truly was overwhelmed. The words, the severity behind them,  _ Daddy  _ \- he was drowning. He held onto Michael like he was the anchor and not the storm. Those bubbles of worry came back but Michael’s words weren’t untrue. He’d faced death at the end of his uncle’s fists, afraid that that day would be the day things went too far.  Something had happened to Michael, he could feel it. 

 

Whatever conflict his mind was trying to stir up, he was still painfully hard. They both were. They ground together and he yearned for Michael’s sure hand not just in his own or on his hips. And Geoff -  _ Daddy _ . He easily found Michael beautiful but Geoff was a surprise. He didn’t go for tougher, tattooed types when he allowed himself the leisure of picturing his ‘ideal man’ but Geoff was the kind of handsome that snuck up on him. The charming smile and the captivating blue of his eyes, how caring and gentle his hands were despite the tattoos, and the way his voice cracked when he got too worked up about something. It drew him in.

 

Michael broke the kiss and dug his knees into the bed, hands sliding up under Ray’s shirt to push it up. He rucked the material up under his armpits before sliding his palms down to the younger boy’s stomach, fingers fanning out across the tan skin. Ray was soft there but there were ugly puckered cigarette burns and splotchy bruising over his ribs.

 

“Beautiful,” Michael muttered, lashes low like he was in a trance as his fingers mapped out the other boy’s chest. Ray watched with building anticipation as those knowing digits traced around his nipples. The sensitive nubs hardened with a pinch and a gasp and then Michael started  _ talking _ .

 

“Geoff’s insanely good to me, you know?” Michael began, thumb dragging over a stiff brown nipple until he saw the goosebumps flare up across the boy’s pec. “He buys me whatever I want. When we finally settle down he’s going to let me stuff a whole closet with pretty clothes for me to wear. I’ve always wanted to dress like that but my parents were shit and would’ve kicked my ass for trying to go to school in a skirt. The kids would’ve torn me apart too. But not Geoff.” His voice kicked up a notch and his smile returned, hips rolling back to brush over Ray’s cock to keep it interested. Ray tried to listen but it was hard with his heart pounding out a lustful beat in his ears. 

 

“He pets me like I’m something precious and calls me his baby boy,” Michael mused, massaging around Ray’s nipples until the boy’s breath calmed before pinching them again to get a fresh moan of pleasure. He kept Ray’s body on edge and the boy was flushed from it, hard bulge brushing against his cheeks with each grind. 

 

“God, Michael…”

 

“He plays with me just like this. He’ll do  _ this _ .” He squeezed the little buds so hard Ray hissed through his teeth and his hips shot up. “Sometimes until they’re swollen and I cry from how his fingers feel. He likes to keep me on edge and take his time.”

 

Ray choked on a whine at the thought of Geoff doing this to Michael until he sobbed, pinching those pink nipples until they were dark and puffy.

 

“He’ll eat me out,” Michael remarked almost casually as he gentled his touches but started a tight grind of his ass against the boy’s covered cock. Ray’s face was so flushed he looked as if  _ he  _ might start crying any moment. Michael smirked at the reaction, a hand coming up to cup the swell of Ray’s cheek. He thumbed the cheekbone possessively, admiring the way Ray’s gaze seemed to blur around the edges.  _ My sensitive little boy. _ “Daddy will spend all night licking me to see how many times I can come from it.”

 

Ray cursed under his breath as Michael dropped down to start kissing at his stiff nipples, soothing the burn with his smooth lips. His kitten licks felt like sparks and his nerves fizzled. The older boy pecked kisses down his stomach and nibbled just above his belly button to draw a surprised yelp out of him.

 

“He loves it between my thighs, it’s his favorite place,” Michael purred, palms gliding down rub along the other boy’s thighs. “Mmm, but between yours is pretty nice too.”

 

Ray felt like every spot Michael touched went liquid. He was shivering all over but he felt overheated. He felt like steam was pouring off him and he wanted Michael’s sweet mouth to cool him off. Though with the way the other was smirking he seemed to have a mouthful of flames ready to burn him alive.

 

“I always need to get off at least once before we really start,” Michael continued conversationally as if he wasn’t driving the boy beneath him mad with need. He kept suckling kisses just above Ray’s boxers and every brush of his teeth against skin got another little noise. “I’m so much younger than Daddy. He can only go once or twice a day.”

 

Ray thought of Geoff huffing and exhausted above a needy, whining Michael and his hips humped up without his permission. His covered cock brushed Michael’s cheek and it made both of them gasp.

 

“You like that?” Michael husked, squeezing the meat of his thigh. “You want to hear more?”

 

Ray nodded quickly, unable to form the words to beg to hear more filth.

 

“He’ll suck me off or eat me out just to take the edge off before we play. Or he’ll put a ring on me if he wants me really desperate.” Michael kissed at the fleshy curve of his hipbones. Ray tried not to pant like a dog in heat and his mind raced as he tried not to freak out. This was more than he’d ever imagined and he was spiraling thinking about just where it was leading. Michael was like a fabricated sex kitten between his legs and he wasn’t sure how long he was going to last like this.

 

“One night, he kept a ring on me for an hour and let me suck his cock,” Michael breathed against the bulge in his boxers. His skin prickled and he keened. “It was so heavy and warm. I begged for it. He let me stay there until I was ready to come past the ring. He fucked me after, I remember...God, I'll never forget."

 

Michael moaned shamelessly at his own words and started mouthing Ray's cock through his boxers. Ray didn't want to admit he squealed but there was no other name for the sound that escaped him. No one had ever touched him there and the contact sizzled through him from fingers to toes.

 

"He bent me over the bed and pushed my face into the pillow until I couldn't breathe," Michael whimpered against his cock, his own hips humping the air as his fingers skittered restlessly up and down the other boy's thighs. "I was so out of it I would've let him do anything to me."

 

Ray's mouth worked uselessly before he finally found his words again. "What did he do?"

 

Michael's eyes met his and he flinched from the razor sharp lust carved within them. "He fucked me and came in my ass like he paid extra for it. Then finger-fucked me so good I came twice in a row." Ray moaned sweetly but Michael didn't stop, too caught up in the memory. "He milked me like a whore and I  _ begged  _ for him to use me."

 

Ray whined in shame as a thick bubble of pre soaked into his boxers. Michael sighed happily at the sight and licked over the wet spot, mirroring the younger boy's whine as he got a taste. "God, you taste good. Can I suck you off, Ray? Please?"

 

Ray brought his hand down and bit hard into his knuckle. Michael's sharp lust had melted into liquid chocolate, pure pools of desperation as he pouted up at him. He felt his balls tighten and was sure he'd come on the spot.

 

"You can fuck my mouth all you want," Michael offered.

 

Ray was sure his head was going to pop off from how much he nodded, so far gone he wasn't sure he could speak without moaning. Michael beamed at him and his heart jumped for a whole different reason.

 

"You spoil me, Sunray."

 

It was the only warning he got before his boxers were yanked off. He stuttered on a protest but it was useless. His left leg was grabbed and thrown over Michael's shoulder before the older boy dipped, sucking him down completely in one fluid movement. Ray yowled and grabbed two fistfuls of curls, back bowing as he tried to ride the sudden wave of pleasure. Tears built up in his eyes - it was  _ so much _ . So good. Michael's tongue was heavy along his cock and his thighs jumped with each long lick. He felt the suction of that talented mouth from his balls all the way to his throat and he wondered if he'd survive this. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt and his inexperience was showing from how tight his balls felt already.

 

Michael pulled off him with a loud suck and the cold air on his wet cock made him jolt. "Mm, that's it. Make all those gorgeous noises for Daddy. I bet he's listening right now."

 

Ray slapped a hand over his own mouth, shock and embarrassment hitting him all at once. He hadn't given it a thought. The walls were so thin they'd heard Geoff watching TV earlier so there was no way Daddy hadn’t heard all the shameful noises he'd been making. He thought he'd be more humiliated but his dick was still leaking and eager for those generous lips again. Suddenly he  _ wanted  _ Geoff's eyes on him - sharp blue raking over him, appraising him and enjoying the show. His shirt was still pushed up and his nipples were swollen from abuse, boxers discarded somewhere to expose his ruddy cock.

 

Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized he was calling Geoff ‘Daddy’ like Michael did and he didn’t know why it didn’t set off any alarm bells.

 

"You'd be surprised how good it feels to have him watch you," Michael murmured like he could read his mind, licking his hand before palming the other boy's cock. "I bet you'd come so fast from hearing him call you his good little boy." Ray rocked into his hand with a desperate mewl. “Right now he’d tell you how pretty you are fucking my hand like this. Maybe something about how much he wants to see me flip you over and lick you open. Can you almost hear it, Ray? That voice…”

 

Ray’s eyes fell shut and he could, moaning low and long as he pictured the man sitting just out of reach to watch.  _ ‘Ride Michael’s tongue like it’s my cock, baby.’ _

 

“ _ Oh _ ,” Michael breathed with a pleased surprise. “You’re already so close, little Ray.  I can feel it.”

 

“Michael,” he whined pathetically.

 

“Beg me,” Michael bit out, his smirk borderline cruel as something dark glinted in his eyes. “Beg to come down my throat.”

 

Ray thrashed on the bed, legs kicking out as a potent wave of  _ want  _ crashed through him. He  _ was _ close and his dick felt like it was aching. He wanted Michael’s mouth, Geoff’s gaze - he wanted  _ more _ . The light circle of his hands wasn’t enough. He craved it like he’d never known he could crave something.  But Michael merely pinned him down with that cattish grin of his. 

 

“Baby boy is throwing a tantrum because he’s not getting what he wants, huh?” Michael teased mercilessly. “No one’s ever touched you and now that you’re so close to fucking my throat, you can’t take it.” 

 

“Michael,” Ray whined again, rubbing a hand over his face as he tried not to cry in frustration. He felt embarrassed in a way that made him hard. He was so confused but that didn’t stop him from wanting to come.

 

“You’re so gone you can’t say anything but my name,” Michael chuckled, breath tickling his throbbing cock. “Fussy little fuck. I said  _ beg _ .”

 

“Pl-please?” Ray fumbled.

 

“You can do better,” Michael insisted, squeezing his dick to remind him how good it felt. Ray whimpered and Michael knew he was close to breaking him. “I’ll give you anything you want. You just have to beg.”

 

“Please suck me off,” he rushed out.

 

Michael crawled up until they were face to face, staring right at him with a mysterious little smile that could only mean trouble. Michael took his hand and brought it up until his fingertips touched Michael’s swollen lower lip. It was wet, flush and it made Ray keen in the back of his throat to know he’d done that to him.

 

“Say it,” Michael urged with a seductive lilt.

 

Ray was lost in the gravitational pull that revolved around Michael’s gorgeous mouth. The plump curves, the shapely lines. He thought of overripe fruit, of shiny hard candy, to old pinup girls. He couldn’t fathom how someone like Michael could ever want someone like him but he wanted to prove he was worth the desire. He wanted to be a good boy. 

 

His eyes flicked down to the shining diamond and suddenly the words started to bubble up before he could could even register what they were.

 

“Let me fuck your mouth, Michael.”

 

Michael blanketed Ray’s hand in his own and rubbed his cheek against the boy’s palm, turning his head to lay a wet kiss along the soft of it. Michael was such a sight, a siren now caught up in his own game and consumed with lust. His nipples were hard under his thin tank and his panties were soaked in pre, clinging to his cock and showing off the hard ridge of it.

 

“Anything.” The word was a dark whisper against Ray’s palm.

 

Michael moved back down between his legs and Ray immediately missed the warmth on top of him. He wanted to drag the boy back up but stopped with a gasp when Michael’s hands slid just above his ass to cradle his hips in grip with unexpected strength. A hot tongue licked all over his cock and Ray shuddered out a breath, the mouth he had a growing obsession with kissing everything it could reach. It was just a tease of sensation compare to the suckling from before. 

 

Ray looked down and Michael was staring, waiting. It was almost vulgar the way Michael licked at the fleshy head, tongue tracing the slight ridge and sending all kinds of  _ hell yes _ feelings all through him. That burning up feeling returned when Michael laid a filthy kiss at the tip. Ray’s thighs jumped, muscles visibly twitching as his nerves crackled. Michael must have gotten the reaction he wanted because he stopped teasing. He swallowed Ray down in smooth, glossy glides. His cheeks hollowed out and he went to the hilt every time. Ray whimpered at each dip and his hips started to move on their own again, chasing release.

 

Michael finally broke eye contact. His eyes fell shut and he moaned around Ray’s cock like it was the best he’d ever had. He thrust up between Michael’s lips and the boy squeezed his hips.  He was on edge and it felt too good to stop. Ray started to fuck his face like he’d asked and Michael’s high pitched whines only drove him on. Ray panted as he rolled his hips in a sloppy pursuit of that  _ just out of reach _ pleasure. Grateful moans poured out of him. He’d never felt anything so good and Michael’s name started to slip out too.

 

“Michael, Michael!”

 

Michael picked up the pace and fully grabbed his ass, encouraging him to  _ really  _ fuck up.  Ray slapped his hands onto the headboard to brace himself before he started rolling his hips up off the bed, following Michael’s movements. He fucked between those bee-stung lips and it was  _ heaven _ . He could feel Michael swallow, that tight throat milking his cock. Ray pried his eyes open and he got a good look of how dripping wet Michael was in his panties.  Michael wanted him. There was no hiding his honest and raw lust and  _ that _ was what got him.

 

Ray smacked the headboard as he came, letting out a keening whine that sounded more like a wounded animal than a man caught in passion. His mind felt like it splintered, white lightning cracks shooting all through it before it broke in a crest of pleasure. Ray’s mouth hung open uselessly for a long drawn out moment before the vice finally released from his body and he slumped. He spilled thick across Michael’s thirsty tongue and the boy swallowed it all down. Ray made pitiful, breathless noises as he came down from his high.

 

Michael was still working him through it as he softened up, gradually pulling away. He lapped up the last few drops with a small hum. Ray shivered as he was robbed of the other’s body heat and a terrifying well of vulnerability started to come up. The room was suddenly too big and he was too exposed, his post-coital glow plummeting into a raw feeling he didn’t like at all. What was gloriously overwhelming a minute ago was turning into something ugly.  He wanted Michael close again.

 

But Michael was just staring at him with an expression that was almost… _ calculating _ . He expected Michael to cuddle up to him, kiss him, tell him something sweet but it never came. 

 

Ray drew his legs together and covered his chest with both arms, drawing in on himself. “M-Michael…?” 

 

Those eyes that had been so full of heat were lifeless. His cock was only half hard now and softening as he seemed to reconsider the situation. Ray was starting to feel used when the other boy got up and walked up to the wall they shared with Geoff. He banged his fist on the wall before he stepped back, looking down at the floor. 

 

Ray was starting to feel the stinging burn of tears when the door opened. Geoff hurried inside and closed it behind him, throwing the lock. He was just in his pajamas, an old t-shirt with holes and some sweats, but he looked worried. Michael gestured at the bed before backing up, keeping his head down. Geoff rushed forward and started making a shushing noise when Ray sat up and hid himself.

 

“Ray,” Geoff crooned in a kind whisper as he sat down on the bed. “Hey there, sweet boy. Looks like you and Michael had some fun, huh?” 

 

Ray whimpered as Geoff drew him into his lap with that casual strength he admired so much. A burst of sweet warmth flourished in his chest and he felt the tension leave his shoulders. Geoff’s clothes were soft and rubbed against his hypersensitive skin like a caress. He buried his face in Geoff’s throat and smelled the remnants of his cologne - woodsy, damp, like underbrush after rain. Ray had only been in the woods twice in his life but it was comforting.  Geoff’s hands were firm as they rubbed down his back, the other cupping his bare thighs to hold him close.

 

“Michael, run a warm washcloth,” Geoff ordered quietly. From the way the older boy jumped, it might as well have been a bark.

 

Geoff dropped little kisses in Ray’s hair and over his forehead, lips leaving tingles behind. An inked finger curled under his chin and tilted his head back for a cheek kiss and one very brief buss over his lips. Ray sunk into him, passing over all control and just letting himself feel. The vulnerability started to trickle away to be replaced with this new cozy feeling. A thumb brushed over his nipple and he sighed, nuzzling at the man’s neck. Geoff’s chuckle made him smile and then he felt his shirt wiggled back down to cover him. 

 

“That’s my good boy. Did you feel good?”

 

Ray nodded with another little sigh.

 

“Do you feel good now? Use your words.”

 

“Yeah,” Ray drawled, eyelids growing heavier with each blink.

 

“Promise?”

 

“Promise.”

 

Michael returned with a warm, wet rag and Geoff gave him a brief kiss as a reward. Then his attention turned back to Ray and he nosed into his hair. “Move your leg for me, little one.”

 

Ray blushed a little but smiled at the nickname. He parted his legs once more and got another nuzzle for his obedience. Geoff wiped his thighs clean with a tender touch, being even more careful as he cleaned his soft dick and everything below. Michael took the rag away after a silent gesture from Geoff and Ray just kept his face buried in the older man’s shirt until he felt the bed dip again. He raised his head just as Michael wrapped a throw blanket around his shoulders, tucking it in around him. It was just as soft as Geoff’s clothes and smelled like them both. He snuggled into it and rubbed his face in Geoff’s chest again.

 

“You boys really had some fun, I could hear.” He pressed his mouth to Ray’s forehead and gave the newly covered legs a good squeeze. “You sounded so pretty.”

 

Michael whined and made grabby hands at the younger boy, finally more present after his shut down. 

 

Geoff gauged him out before laying a hand on Ray’s lower back and pushing him forward. “Here baby, go to Michael.”

 

Ray fell into Michael’s waiting arms and they flopped down on the bed together. Whatever had possessed Michael earlier was gone and the boy looked regretful. Michael touched their foreheads and wrapped around the other, brushing noses in an affectionate nuzzle. Ray twined their legs and soaked up the attention. He didn’t exactly understand what was happening or had happened but he was glad to see the glow back in Michael’s eyes.  

 

“I’m sorry,” Michael uttered sincerely, pulling the blanket further around the other. “Sometimes...I forget what to do.”

 

Ray didn’t exactly know what that meant and before he could ask Geoff spooned up behind him. The man’s arm wrapped around him and everything went fuzzy around the edges. Being safely tucked between them felt almost as good as the orgasm and his suspicions flew out the window as he let himself melt into their embrace.

 

“I don’t want to leave,” Ray admitted.

 

“Then don’t,” Michael insisted, hand laying on the younger boy’s hip. He looked serious enough that it even caught Geoff off guard. “Stay.”

 

“I...I can’t…” Ray grit out. “He’ll find me and it’ll be worse than ever.”

 

“ _ No _ ,” Michael shot back, jaw flexing under his skin as he fought off the urge to growl. “Stay, with us. Like, come with us. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

 

Ray stared with slack jawed shock at the other. He snapped out of his delicate mindset and suddenly the world was way too real. Michael propped himself up on one elbow and leaned over the gaping boy, kissing Geoff with sugar sweetness that the man swooned. 

 

“Daddy, can we keep him?” Michael asked, putting on a pout before dropping down to kiss under Ray’s jaw. The younger boy hummed and tilted his head, lashes fluttering as more kisses were peppered down his throat. “I don’t want to give him back.”

 

Geoff mulled over exactly what Michael was asking. He knew his baby boy well and this wasn’t something to be taken lightly. Michael didn’t  _ share _ . He’d made that very clear from the start and just mentioning Ray two days ago had sent his boy into a murderous rage that had only by luck worked out for them all. Michael was talking about taking Ray in. Not just as a ward or a friend. Michael hadn’t played with someone else like this since they got together and before that it had only been for money. His boy saw something in Ray that he liked, that he  _ needed _ . There was no other explanation. And Ray seemed to be infatuated with Michael, though that wasn’t exactly hard to do.

 

This wasn’t just getting Ray out of hell. This was taking him in as a ward, a baby boy. Michael was asking for a  _ brother _ .

 

Looking at the two of them together, Michael kissing Ray’s pulse and the younger boy moaning quietly about it, he realized he was on board.  _ Sometimes I forget Michael’s running this show. _

 

“Only if he wants to stay, baby boy.”

 

o0o

 

They went back to the dive that night. It was just past four AM and the bar was locked but Ray had a key. Geoff stayed in the car and Michael went with Ray. The boys snuck up to the upper floor where Ray’s ‘room’ had been made up. His bed was set up behind crates in the corner of the room and it made Michael’s heart hurt. All of Ray’s clothes thankfully fit in the one duffle he owned. He didn’t have much but the rest he shoved into Michael’s backpack - his games, DS, and some trinkets his grandma made him by hand when he was born.

 

They were heading out of the storage room when Ray got whipped around and pinned against the door. He startled at first thinking it was his uncle but relaxed when he realized it was just Michael. That stiff, cool expression had returned to his face but Ray held his ground. There  _ was _ something wrong with Michael, he could see that now, but he wasn’t scared this time.

 

“You’re with us now,” Michael stated firmly. “We’re going to protect you.”

 

Ray waited for the flutters of fear to hit but they never did. He wondered briefly how often this would happen, times when he should be scared of Michael but wasn’t. “I believe you.”

 

“Do you want us to kill him?”

 

The statement dropped like a brick between them and Ray choked. “ _ What? _ ”

 

“Your uncle,” Michael clarified without so much as a flinch. “I’ll slit his throat and we’ll never come back. They won’t find us.” 

 

He cupped Ray’s cheek and it was curiously comforting. “Michael, don’t.”

 

“I’ll do it for you, baby,” Michael promised darkly. “I’ll kill him tonight, for you.”

 

And Ray believed him. He stepped up to close the space between them and cupped Michael’s cheek, thumb tracing the high swell. A galaxy of freckles disappeared beneath his thumb. “It’s okay, Michael. Let’s just leave him.”

 

Michael frowned but leaned into the touch. 

 

“Please?” Ray pleaded. “I just want to go with you guys and forget about all this.”

 

Michael brushed a kiss across his mouth but his brow was still pinched up. “If you’re sure.”

 

“I am.” Ray kissed him again, trying to press his intent with just his lips. When he pulled back he kept his gaze steady. “No more violence, okay?”

 

Michael’s smile was much too easy to be real. “Okay, baby boy. Anything you say.”

 

* * *

 

 

**Feedback would be hella amazing, I'm feeding off of it. I'm kind of proud of this chapter and the detail?? sorta?? so if you like it maybe hit me up and let me know so I don't die of starvation xD**


	4. Chapter 4

**HOLY SHIT!! I asked for a response and you guys delivered in full??? Wow, you guys always amaze me, I appreciate the feedback so much! I crave it, you guys know how thirsty I am. So there's this, and I would do the Mavin centered installment but I got stuff this morning. Wish me luck, it's pure porn and you know how awful I am at that**

 

* * *

 

 

**~*~**

  
_And I can tell just what you want_  
_You don't want to be alone_  


  
_And I can't say it's what you know_  
_But you've known it the whole time_  
_Yeah, you've known it the whole time_

**~*~**  


 

 

* * *

 

 

_One Month Later_

 

Ray’s moans were like sugar drops, painfully sweet and plentiful. Geoff devoured them hand-over-fist, working his hips nice and slow to draw out as many as he could. Ray was every inch the baby boy Geoff had expected him to be. He clung to Geoff with everything he had, arms looped around his shoulders and firm thighs hugging his waist to keep them pressed close. Ray held onto him like he never wanted to let go.

 

Geoff had unwrapped the boy like a present. He’d taken his time peeling off his clothes and getting him in bed, kissing him deep and keeping him lost in sensation to make the first time easier. Ray was his virgin boy and he was so gently opening him up. He’d used more than enough lube to make everything slide easy and he’d worked his sensitive boy up to four fingers before he’d slipped his cock in. Nothing between them but slick.

 

It was strikingly different than fucking Michael. Ray needed to take it slow and careful with long, drawn out kisses. The praise was the same.

 

“You’re being so good for me,” Geoff murmured in his ear, one hand cradling his boy’s hip with the other arm dug into the bed for leverage. He kept his knees braced in the mattress as he fucked in a deliberate rhythm that tagged Ray’s prostate with almost every thrust. The way Ray bucked and weakly clawed at him was endearing. He drew shivering mewls out of his boy as he played with his throat, bottoming out and biting at his pulse so he could feel the way his heart fluttered.

 

They’d been going at it so long that they were both desperate, sweating and panting as they strained against one another in an agonizing crawl towards the bittersweet end.

 

“God,” Ray choked, sounding as if he was about to cry.

 

Geoff kissed down under his jaw and hushed. “I’ve got you, baby. You’re right here with me. I’m going to take care of you.”

 

Ray buried his face in the man’s shoulder and trembled. His voice was muffled, shy. “I-It feels bigger than I thought…”

 

“It’s cause you’re my tiny little one,” Geoff teased, teeth skimming the smooth throat that was already flush from his attention. “Is it too much? Should I stop?” He hissed as blunt nails dug into his shoulders and Ray bore down as he thrust up, trapping his cock in a vice.

 

“No,” Ray pleaded, fingers marking the man’s back as he drug them down his shoulder blades. “Don’t stop, Daddy, please. I-I want it.” He hiccuped and the first real tear fell. “I want it so _bad_.”

 

Geoff clenched his eyes shut and fought off the surge of pure heat he got from hearing his new love call him that. Michael had been feeding those thoughts to Ray with a silver spoon and it slowly but surely their little one was taking to it. It made his cock throb but it hit home in the best way. He had saved Michael from the streets and now he’d saved Ray. His boys gave him purpose and in return he gave them _everything_.

 

Ray didn’t realize yet what warming his bed meant, the commitment and permanency, but one day he would.

 

“Shh, baby, don’t cry,” Geoff soothed. He caught Ray’s mouth and poured all his adoration into a kiss. Ray gradually relaxed beneath him and he hummed in praise. “There’s my sweet boy. You’re going to be okay.” He slowly bottomed out and he groaned at the way Ray’s eyes rolled back. “You know I love you, baby, don’t you?”

 

Ray seized beneath him and his cock dripped heavily, threatening to come. He hid his face again and keened against his shoulder, mouth working against the inked flesh. “I-I love you too.”

 

Over on the other bed their spectator watched and lazily played with his own hard cock. He’d offered to sit back for this first time. It was Ray’s show and he was just enjoying it. But with those uttered words, Michael’s face split into a grin that would’ve sent chills down Ray’s spine if he’d bothered to look. _Flawless_.

 

o0o0o0o

 

_Two Weeks Later_

 

“I need to talk to you about Michael.”

 

Geoff sighed and finished folding up the last of Michael’s jeans. He put them in the hotel dresser and closed the drawer. They’d made it to Maine and were still apartment hunting for their long stay. It would something to rent for the next couple months so they had a big decision to make together. Michael hadn’t stuck around for the unpacking once he found a fresh seafood place that did to-go orders. He’d stayed long enough to shower off the sweat of a long car drive and grab Geoff’s wallet before bounding off to get them a hefty dinner. It was one of the first times he’d been truly alone with Ray and he’d been waiting for this talk.

 

Geoff walked over to the bed and plopped down, smiling at his frowning boy. He waved him over and Ray followed, stopping once he stood in between the man’s spread knees. Geoff took his hands and gave them both a kiss before he sighed. “Okay, Ray. I know you’ve been holding it in. Go on.”

 

“He offered to kill my uncle,” Ray stated, searching the man’s face for any signs of surprise. He wasn’t sure what he felt when he found none.

 

“Ray, there’s something you need to know about Michael,” Geoff huffed, squeezing his hands. “I don’t want you to think bad of him for it so just hear me out okay?”

 

Ray gave a tight lipped nod.

 

“He’s not...all there,” Geoff admitted with a small wince. “That sounds awful but yeah. He’s seen some bad shit and he was on the street for years. He’s just a little dark.”

 

“He sounded like he’d kill before,” Ray countered.

 

“Well, uh…”

 

“He stops smiling when he thinks no one’s watching!” Ray snapped, yanking his hand back. “When he turns away from people, it’s like he drops this mask. He’s _faking_! Do you know what kind of people fake emotions, Geoff?”

 

Geoff’s lips pursed. “Don’t say it.”

 

He scowled. “What? The truth?”

 

“Ray,” Geoff warned.

 

“ _Sociopaths_ do that kind of shit!”

 

“A lot went down in Jersey, Ray,” Geoff explained quickly, hands sliding over the outside of the boy’s thighs to rub soothing circles. He wanted to extinguish that angry fire.  “Being in Yonkers was way too close for his liking. I could feel it on him the second we entered the state. He was full of...nervous energy, I guess you’d call it. His skin was crawling the whole time we were there and you were the _only_ thing that made it better.”

 

Ray’s shoulders sagged. “What...what happened?”

 

“His family kicked him out real young, baby.” Geoff pitched his voice low to keep the boy from flaring up again. “He did what he could to survive. Sometimes that was just shoplifting and picking some pockets. He had to get violent a few times. And then...then it got a little more desperate. He got involved with some really bad people and they convinced him to do drugs. It was bad after that, Ray. He got hooked and they made him do some nasty shit to get his next fix.”

 

“He didn’t…” Ray trailed off, unsure if he could say it.

 

“Sold himself?” Geoff smiled faintly. “That’s putting it nicely. Yeah, baby, he had to do some dirty stuff to get by and stay alive.”  


  
Ray’s lips moved uselessly, unsure what to say.  His heart broke thinking of Michael on some dirty motel mattress, gritting his teeth and trying not to cry as some disgusting trick fucked him for a handful of bills. He rubbed his aching chest and tried not to think of Michael so desperate, so low. Geoff gave him a squeeze and he sniffled, fighting back tears. “I had no idea. God, Michael...I knew it was bad but I didn’t know _how_ bad.”

 

“I wanted him to tell you on his own.”

 

Ray dropped down into Geoff’s lap and wrapped his arms around him in a too-tight hug. Geoff floundered for a moment at the sudden hug but he quickly wrapped his arm around his boy and held him secure. He could hear his boy trying not to cry and he rubbed his back to ease the pain. Ray was such a gentle soul and despite his doubts he knew how much his boys adored each other.

 

“We shouldn’t have circled back but he wanted to be in Maine and I’m not going to deny my baby anything.”

 

He felt Ray’s mouth press against his neck before the words poured over his skin. “Have you guys killed before.”

 

Geoff took Ray by the shoulders and pushed him back. “Look at me.”

 

Ray raised his eyes and they were still glistening with unshed tears.

 

“I am never going to hurt you, Ray,” Geoff promised fiercely.  “Michael isn’t going to hurt you either. If you ever feel unsafe with him, you come to me.” He spread his hands out along the boy’s back and gave him another squeeze. “He’s not a bad man, I swear. Sometimes...sometimes he slips away and he forgets.”

 

Ray curled his fingers around Geoff’s forearms, anchoring himself. “What does he forget?”

 

“How to feel,” Geoff confessed with a heavy heart. “Like that first night when you two played when he called me over. He should’ve held you and made you feel safe but he got too caught up and forgot. He wasn’t trying to hurt you he just slipped up and he knew I could help. Sometimes he needs to be reminded what to do or feel next.”

 

“That sounds frustrating,” Ray muttered to himself. He flipped through all the times he’d caught Michael’s face going neutral, how many times his pretty smile at cashiers fell and his voice had dropped to a deadpan when asking Geoff for something. It had been unsettling at first but he’d been getting used to it. Did Michael not feel things the way everyone else did? Did it hurt to be numb like that when Ray and Geoff were so easily affectionate?

 

“Does he love us, Geoff?”

 

“Yes baby, I promise.” Geoff cupped his cheeks and playfully squished them. “Like I said - he just needs reminded That’s why he’s got us. And that’s why _you’ve_ got _me_ . I’m here to take care of you boys.” _Even from each other._

 

Ray nodded and gave him a smile. He believed Geoff. He really liked Michael and he loved how the other boy made him feel. It was like having a best friend and a boyfriend all in one. He loved them both so much already in so short a time and he struggled to imagine being without them. Maybe Michael was different but different wasn’t necessarily bad. “Okay.”

 

Geoff thumbed his cheek expectantly, brow raised.

 

Ray blushed delicately and looked down with a bashful smile. “Okay, Daddy.”

 

Geoff kissed him square on the mouth and Ray made a delighted noise, leaning into it.

 

“There’s my good boy.”

 

 


End file.
